Locking up a child is never in their best interest. Detention affects children’s development, makes them more vulnerable to torture and ill-treatment, jeopardizes their right to education, and risks compromising their chances to integrate into society.
Nonetheless, at least 1.3 to 1.5 million of them are deprived of liberty every year worldwide, according to a 2019 UN study which the OMCT supported and which included prisons, immigration detention, and various institutions. Another estimated one million children find themselves in police custody.
Those among them who are in conflict with the law come mostly from poor and marginalized communities. Abuse, including torture, which is frequent in settings of deprivation of liberty, takes a particularly heavy toll on children.
The OMCT benefits from a broad and diverse expertise through its Executive Council, OMCT’s main governing body. All Council members are also part OMCT's…